


The More Things Change...

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Drama, F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-28
Updated: 2013-09-28
Packaged: 2017-12-27 19:55:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/982970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"What's normal?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	The More Things Change...

**Author's Note:**

> I will always, always love my OTP. I struggled with an ending, which is nothing new, then I saw the premiere and it helped.

“I should’ve just left this shit for the next guy.” she mumbled, signing off on another folder before moving it to the side.

“I thought you were splitting the work with Aaron.” Dave said. He put the sandwich, honey barbecue chicken and provolone on wheat, down on the table. She took the glass of raspberry iced tea from his hand.

“I did. This is why I always groaned when you used to drag me from work early. I don’t even know why I'm doing this.”

“You're doing it because you're hard working and responsible.”

“I'm glad you think so because I mostly feel like an idiot. That’s not Aaron Hotchner’s fault…this go round.”

“Why would you feel like that?” Dave asked. He sat across from her at their dining room table.

“I'm just tired.” Erin took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. “Actually I'm exhausted.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“You can walk the dog.” She replied. “My poor baby must be about to burst. I made him mommy promises about an hour ago that I didn’t keep. I think he still loves me though.”

“Mudgie will always love you. How about after I do that, I run you a hot bubble bath?”

“In theory that sounds amazing.” Erin’s smile was weary.

“Just in theory?”

“You want to run me a bath because I'm exhausted but then I'm too exhausted to truly enjoy it. I just want a good martini, a sleeping pill, and to fall face first into my pillows.”

“Come with me to walk the dog.” Dave put his hand on top of hers. “I know you're busy but you need a breather from this. It’s a beautiful fall night. There's a nice rain; I've got a big umbrella.”

“I have a lot of work to do, David.”

“You always do. Alright, I’ll leave you alone.”

“Don’t go.” Erin held onto his hand. “Well, don’t go without me.”

“I won't.” He shook his head.

“Just let me eat half of this sandwich. It smells delicious and my stomach is screaming at me.”

“You eat and I’ll get Mudgie ready.” Dave stood up. “C'mon bud.”

The Chesapeake Bay retriever was sitting just a few feet away from Erin. He looked up when Dave spoke to him but didn’t get up.

“Hey Mudge.” He whistled. “C'mon, mommy’s coming. I promise.”

Mudgie looked at Erin and she nodded. He got up, following Dave into the living room. Erin sighed and picked up her sandwich. It was a long day; the night was going to be longer. Erin was no longer Section Chief of the NCAVC. 

Helping Aaron Hotchner wrap up her work was just a courtesy. He’d been there for Erin during her two leaves of absence in the past three years. He didn’t deserve to have it all dumped on him. She heard the job had been offered to him on a silver platter. Erin didn’t think that was a good idea. 

Getting to know him better over the years, she believed Aaron didn’t want the job. That didn’t mean the Bureau wouldn’t use him up until they found someone else. She drank more iced tea before getting up from the table. Walking into the living room, Erin saw Dave and Mudgie standing on the porch. 

He held the closed umbrella in one hand and the dog leash in the other. She went to the front closet, retrieving her FBI Academy hoodie. Erin pulled her blonde hair back with the band on her wrist. She put the hoodie on and closed the door as she stepped onto the porch.

“It’s a great night.” Dave handed her the dog leash. If he walked Mudgie the retriever would want to splash through every puddle and stop at every hydrant.

“If you like it cold and rainy then yes it is.”

Erin slipped her hand in his as they walked down the front steps. Their Fairfax neighborhood, one of the most exclusive in the city, was quiet. There was a comfort in the silence, occasionally pierced by a passing car on the smooth, rain-slicked streets.

“Things will go back to normal soon.” Dave said.

“What’s normal?”

“Yeah.” He smirked. “I know.”

“I don’t even want to think about it anymore. I'm not the Section Chief. That surely doesn’t mean that I have nothing to offer. I'm going to have future agents on the ground floor. I’ll be an integral part of their introduction to the Bureau. I'm going to be involved in the future of the selection and recruitment process. That’s a big deal.”

“I'm also going to be able to call you Madam Deputy Director now.” Dave smiled. “That’s sexy.”

“Yeah, we shouldn’t forget about that.”

He reached into the pocket of his leather jacket to grab his vibrating cell phone. It was his work phone and Hotch was on the other end. They were supposed to have the weekend off. They’d just come back from a case two nights ago…leaving again seemed ridiculous. Not that the job ever had hours. That was starting to take its toll.

“Work?” Erin looked at him as Mudgie stopped to kick box some shrubs.

“I really hope not.” Dave picked it up. “Hey.”

Erin just listened as they moved along the street with their dog. Her husband used one word sentences and grunts. She already knew what was happening. All Erin wanted to know was where. She wouldn’t even bother asking for how long. Sometimes they could be gone for a day or so, sometimes close to a week. There were plenty of things to keep her busy while Dave was off saving the world.

“I have to go to work.” He put the cell phone back in his pocket and took her hand again.

“I know.”

“We were supposed to have the weekend off.”

“I heard that somewhere.” Erin nodded.

“One of these days I'm just going to retire. I'm gonna live out my golden years with my woman, my dog, and an electric typewriter.”

“That sounds appealing. Do you want to turn around and get back to the house?”

“I'm gonna have my walk.” Dave slipped his arm around her. “I came home prepared to spend a nice weekend with my family and that’s been interrupted. I'm gonna have my walk.”

He didn’t want to leave but knew he had to. Erin would spend another weekend curled in their bed without him. She would make meals for one and maybe watch that movie alone that he’d been promising they would watch together for weeks. Rossi would never win an award for world’s greatest husband. The job kept them apart a lot and always had. 

Lately he felt that he should be spending more time with Erin. He wanted to make sure she was coping as well as she said. It had only been 4 months since John Curtis attacked and tried to kill her. She was strong, he knew that. But there was only so many bombs a brick wall could take before it crumbled.

“I'm going to be fine.” She murmured, leaning her face against his side. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

“I'm not worried about…I'm lying right now.”

“I know that.”

“Are you sure?” Dave asked. “Are you sure that you're going to be alright by yourself. We haven’t seen each other much this month.”

“I'm sure.” They were rounding the corner and heading back home. “I'm not going to finish that paperwork, at least not tonight. I'm going to curl up with the dog and a book. 

“Tomorrow I'm going to Skype my mother for phone breakfast before I tackle the stack again. But no more than three hours, I promise. Whatever I don’t finish can go back to the acting Section Chief. Don’t tell him; it’s a surprise.” Erin managed her first genuine smile of the night when she said it.

“I’ll call to make sure you're listening to your own orders. You can dish it out, Agent Strauss, but you can't always take it.”

“I've discovered recently that I can take it pretty well, thank you very much.” She kissed him. “Bring it on.”

***


End file.
